


The Yellow Canoe

by ManiLea



Category: Sylvanian Families (Toys)
Genre: Canoe Set, Gen, Starry Point Lighthouse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-12-03 22:21:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11541600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManiLea/pseuds/ManiLea
Summary: It's the summer holidays and all the Sylvanian families are heading to the seaside. Maxwell Hedgehog has the honour of staying with the Striped Cats at the Starry Point Lighthouse and trying out their brand new yellow canoe. However, he is not the most outdoorsy little hedgehog...





	1. It's summer!

It was the last day of school before the summer holidays. The sun beat against the classroom windows and all the small Sylvanians were feeling dull and sleepy. 

Their teacher, Mr Striped Cat, announced that they could play outside for the last hour. The lessons for the school year had been covered. The children ran outside, shouting and laughing, except Maxwell Hedgehog. He liked school and wasn't keen on the outdoors. He went over to Sabrina Striped Cat. She was always nice to him.

“I can't wait to try out the new canoe that my dad bought,” said Sabrina. “It's yellow and so beautiful. What are you doing this summer?”

Maxwell shrugged. “Maybe my family will take a trip somewhere.”

Maxwell's family lived in a caravan, so they could travel all over Sylvania very easily. But they didn't go on big trips very often because his mum worked in the bakery and didn't like to close it. She didn't want to lose her customers.

“Come to the beach and try out the canoe with us!” exclaimed Sabrina. She ran to her dad, Mr Striped Cat. “Can Max come on the canoe with us?”

“Yes, that's a good idea,” said Mr Striped Cat. “He can even stay over for a night.”

Maxwell's heart lifted. The Striped Cats lived in a lighthouse overlooking the sea. It was the perfect summer getaway. 

“Thank you, sir! I'd love to.”

That evening the Hedgehog family squeezed around their red sofa-bench for dinner. Mortimer Hedgehog, Maxwell's dad, had made them a large tomato and basil pizza. It was hot and fresh from the bakery. Maxwell told his parents that the Striped Cats had invited him to stay at Starry Point Lighthouse.

“Wonderful,” said Mortimer. “We should take the caravan down to the beach as well. I reckon most families will be there.”

Eleanor agreed. “I won't be getting many customers at the bakery these next few days, anyway.”


	2. Out at sea

The Hedgehog family drove to the beach early the next morning. The Tuxedo Cat family were already there, unloading a picnic set and chairs from their shiny red car. Eleanor and the Tuxedo Cat mother acknowledged each other with a nod. The Tuxedo Cat father drew an umbrella over his chair and put on a pair of sunglasses, while Mortimer took off his shirt and stuck his feet right into the sand. They were very different families.

Maxwell walked along the beach, towards the lighthouse. Sabrina was by the water, looking out to where her father and brother Shane were. The canoe was gliding through the waves with each push of the two oars in Mr Striped Cat's paws.

Sabrina waved Maxwell over. “You're just in time. It's our turn next.”

Mr Striped Cat rowed to the shore and tied the canoe to a post with a strong piece of rope. He took off his life jacket and helped Shane to take off his.

“We have to wear these jackets in case we fall into the water,” Sabrina explained.

Maxwell strapped on his jacket and put one foot into the canoe. It wobbled. “I'm going to fall over!”

“Lean on me,” said Mr Striped Cat. Maxwell held his arm and quickly sat down on the little bench. Sabrina climbed onto the other bench while holding onto the sides of the canoe.

Maxwell and Sabrina took one oar each. They were heavier than they had looked when Mr Striped Cat was rowing. Sabrina demonstrated how to row: you had to lift the oar, drop it into the water, push forwards so the paddles went backwards and lift again. Max concentrated hard on doing it properly, but he got confused a few times and ended up rowing backwards.

The waves were moving up and down rather quickly. Maxwell felt the gritty water spray his back. It didn't seem to matter how they were rowing – the sea seemed to be taking them further and further out.

“We have to row harder,” said Sabrina, but Maxwell was already using all of his strength.

It seemed as though they would never make it back to shore. What if they fell into the water? The life jackets wouldn't help if they were far away from everybody. Maxwell's stomach churned and he wished he had never stepped into the little boat. He leaned over the side of the canoe and vomited.

“Oh no!” cried Sabrina.

“Sorry,” croaked Maxwell.

A shadow drifted over the canoe. It was a great white boat – the Silk Cat family's houseboat. Holly Silk Cat was standing at the wheel.

“Come on over here! We'll get you cleaned up.”

Sabrina paddled the canoe to the side of the houseboat and they climbed over, while Holly's son Toby put the canoe in tow with the houseboat. Holly found a towel for Maxwell, and he washed himself at the sink. Toby gave him a spare clean shirt. They sailed to the beach and Holly dropped off Sabrina and Maxwell, along with Toby, who had finished his chores and wanted to play.

“Do you want to go back to the lighthouse since you've not been well?” Mr Striped Cat asked. Maxwell nodded.

“I'm going to stay out,” said Sabrina. “I really want to have another go!”

“Me too,” said Shane.


	3. Starry Point Lighthouse

Maxwell was relieved to get to the lighthouse. He went straight to the balcony at the top. A fresh, salty wind was coming in. He could see everything, from the red roof of the island playhouse to his family's caravan. Mr Tuxedo Cat hadn't moved from his spot on the beach and had dozed off with a newspaper over his face. There was now a small group of children by the yellow canoe. Maxwell scowled.

He went next door to Amelia Striped Cat's ice cream shop to see if she had his favourite orange ice cream. She scooped it into a waffle cone before he could even ask.

“Are you at the lighthouse all afternoon?” asked Amelia. “Could you watch the twins for me? It would be ever so helpful.”

The Striped Cat babies, Scott and Apricot, were smearing the floor and their faces with a half-melted dollop of ice cream.

“Yes, okay.”

Amelia wiped their sticky hands and faces, and Maxwell led them back to the lighthouse.

Maxwell played with the twins all afternoon. He swung them in the boat-hammock, built a tower of milk bottles for them to knock over and taught them how to play eye-spy on the balcony. Scott and Apricot loved the game.

“I 'pie with my lil eye summin' lellow!” shouted Scott.

Maxwell sighed. “The canoe...” It was the third time in a row that either of the twins had picked it as something to spy. “You can't keep choosing the same thing. It's too easy to guess. Anyway, it's a horrible little canoe.”

“Hobble lil canoe,” Apricot said, and clapped her hands.

Amelia came back from work and bathed the twins. It was almost dark and Sabrina wasn't back yet. Maxwell kept looking at the door, and as every minute passed without her return, he grew more certain that she had forgotten all about him. Then the handle turned. But it was only Mr Striped Cat.

“The children will come soon,” he said cheerily to Maxwell, and started making dinner.

Just as they were sitting down to eat, Sabrina and Shane came in with scraggly fur and damp clothes.

“Max, you should have been there!” exclaimed Sabrina. “Loads of our friends were there, and they all had a go on the canoe.”

Maxwell glared at his plate. “Great.”


	4. Left out

The next morning, after a breakfast of mussels and toast, Maxwell said goodbye to the Striped Cats and headed down the beach to the caravan. Some young Sylvanians were sitting on a picnic blanket by the steps: his sister Abigail, Lily Tuxedo Cat and Tiffany Silk Cat.

“Hey, Max,” said Abigail. “Where were you yesterday?”

“I was with Sabrina. You know that.”

“Actually, we were all with Sabrina yesterday. We went on her canoe.”

“Me and Sabrina raced Tiffany and Toby in their rowing boat and we won,” said Lily, sticking her tongue out at Tiffany. “It can go really fast.”

“I want to paint our little boat a nice colour too,” said Tiffany. “Maybe red.”

“I got pulled along by the canoe while Sabrina and Shane were rowing it. That was so much fun,” said Abigail.

“Why didn't you come with us, Maxwell?” asked Lily.

“I was on the canoe before all of you,” said Maxwell, lifting his chin. “Me and Sabrina rowed really far out.” He pointed to the horizon. “All the way out there and back.”

“Wow!” said Tiffany.

“I just went to get ice cream because I was hungry after all that rowing, and then Mrs Striped Cat asked me to babysit.”

He stopped and looked at his feet just as Toby came over. Toby set a basket of hot, fat chips on the picnic blanket for the girls. They were from his father's restaurant.

“Guess what, Toby,” said Tiffany. “Yesterday Maxwell rowed the canoe all the way out there and back.”

Toby laughed. “Not quite all the way back! Me and mum had to pick them up because Max threw up in the canoe.”

Abigail burst into giggles, and Lily gasped. “You lied to us!”

“Are you scared of the sea, Max?” asked Tiffany.

The other children hooted with laughter.

“No! I'm not scared and I'm not a liar!” Maxwell shouted. “You're all liars. You can't possibly have had fun yesterday because it's a horrible canoe. I hope it sinks to the bottom of the sea!”

He stomped up the stairs and slammed the caravan door behind him.


	5. Admission and acceptance

Maxwell curled up on his bed, facing the wall, and pretended to read his comic. He didn't respond when Abigail asked him if he wanted to go to the island playhouse and he didn't move when his father called him for lunch. The delicious smell of grilled sausages came wafting in from from the barbecue, but Maxwell didn't want to see anyone.

“Max?” It was Sabrina's voice. “Look, Abi told me what you said about my canoe. That wasn't nice at all. I invited you especially, remember? You didn't have to come if you didn't want to.”

“I did want to come,” replied Maxwell. “But now everyone thinks I'm a loser because I got sick and they all had the best time ever. I wanted to have fun on the canoe, but I don't know. I don't think I like boats.”

Sabrina looked surprised. “That's okay. We can do something else.”

“You still want to hang out with me? Even though I don't like the same things as you?”

“Of course I want to hang out with you! And no one thinks you're a loser. Actually, I know two little Sylvanians who won't stop asking when you'll come to play with them again.”

Maxwell sat up and grinned. “Scott and Apricot?”

“Yes! Do you want to come over and play with the hot air balloon?”

Maxwell slid off his bed. “I did promise to send them to the moon in it.”


End file.
